QEWC says land for solar power project is allocated

Land has been allocated for a 500MW to 1,000MW solar power project in Al Kharsaah, about 80km west of Doha, a top official of Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) announced yesterday.“The project cost will be nearly $500mn in the first phase when 500MW is generated by mid-2020,” QEWC general manager and managing director Fahad Hamad al-Mohannadi explained, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.“Investor companies will be named soon, with global firms taking part as well so as to support the diversification of Qatar’s economy,” the official said.Al Kharsaah is located in the municipality of Al Sheehaniya. Al-Mohannadi was speaking at a press conference yesterday in connection with the signing of a VIP and international express post services contract between QEWC and Qatar Post.“More than 92% of Umm Al Houl project, which is due to be ready in 2018, is complete,” he said.“The project will produce 2,500MW electricity, 130mn gallons of water and provide 25% of the country’s needs in this sector, making it one of the biggest projects in the region with a total cost of nearly $3bn,” the official added.Al-Mohannadi also touched on the Facility E project, also known as Ras Rakan, which QEWC has announced will provide 2,000MW to 2,500MW electricity and 100mn gallons water.At a cost of $3bn, the megaproject will cost nearly the same as the Umm Al Houl project.“The State of Qatar is not reliant on anyone in terms of electricity production, the fuel required for it, and the chemicals that the electricity and water production sector needs,” al-Mohannadi stressed. After signing the contract agreement along with Qatar Post chairman and managing director Faleh Mohamed al-Nuaimi, the QEWC official described the partnership is related to supplying important and urgent materials.“Qatar Post will greatly assist QEWC in express delivery of materials as purchases are now done online but the delivery requires a regulatory role, which Qatar Post will assume,” he stressed.Al-Mohannadi highlighted the importance of Qatar Post, explaining that QEWC has six companies operating in Ras Laffan, Mesaieed, Umm Al Houl, Ras Abu Funtas, and Dukhan, and they need materials delivered to their locations.“Some suppliers do not know the locations or the names of companies and they insist on delivering to a specific location where companies can then go to collect their shipments,” he explained. “Qatar Post will find a mechanism for electronic communication that helps in following up on the locations to which the materials are delivered.”“These steps will help in reducing the need for storage that cost companies money and might lead to the expiry of some materials. It will also drive down the cost of insurance on inflammable materials,” al-Mohannadi said.“The new system might eventually cancel the storage system completely and introduce an electronic system that provides materials through global suppliers, making the global market act as warehouses,” he added, noting that Qatar Post will play a major role in this process.Al-Nuaimi said that Qatar Post will provide shipping and supply services for QEWC in order to drive down the costs.